A Trial by Podcast

Before sunrise on April 18th, 2016, Missy Bevers pulled into the parking lot of Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, Texas. She was early — she was always early. She had a 5 AM workout class to set up for, equipment to haul in, a room to arrange. What she didn't know was that someone was already inside the building. Someone who had been there for over an hour. Someone dressed head to toe in full tactical gear, wearing a helmet, gloves, and a vest with the word POLICE printed across the chest. Someone moving methodically through the empty church hallways, breaking glass, trying doors, and waiting. When Missy's students arrived for class at 5 AM, they found her bloodied body. Church surveillance cameras showed her killer moving throughout the building, yet more than ten years later, that person has never been identified. This is the unsolved murder of Missy Bevers.

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Theme Music: https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/mr-mischief
License code: MOYK9CTUWGH7BLCS

Sources for this episode will be posted at atrialbypodcast.com within 30 days of the publish date.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is intended for entertainment purposes only. While we research thoroughly and use credible, publicly available information, it should not be considered a legal or definitive authority. We cannot guarantee veracity or completeness. Neither host is a lawyer, journalist, or investigator — views expressed are personal and should not be taken as fact. Listeners are encouraged to do their own research. This podcast is not intended to harm, slander, or defame any individual, group, or organization. All individuals discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Questions or concerns? Reach us at [email protected].
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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On April 16th, 1996, 48-year-old James Patterson Smith reported to his local police station that his 17-year-old girlfriend had drowned. Firmly maintaining that this was an accident, he admitted that he was the one who drowned her and, while he claimed that he attempted to resuscitate her, it had been too late. When the police arrived at the house, they were led to the nude body of Kelly Anne Bates lying on the bedroom floor. The police knew it was too late to save Kelly Anne, but the scene they were met with at the home told a much different story than what James reported. It was immediately clear to law enforcement that Kelly Anne’s death had not been an accident, but a cold, calculated end to a long period of brutal abuse. This is the horrific story behind the heartless murder of Kelly Anne Bates.
*****
Find all of A Trial by Podcast's links in our Linktree below:
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Theme Music:
https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/mr-mischief
License code: MOYK9CTUWGH7BLCS
DISCLAIMER
This podcast (and all related media*) is intended for entertainment purposes only. While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, we cannot guarantee its completeness or veracity. Our sources are thoroughly researched, and we strive to use credible, publicly available information. However, this podcast should not be considered a definitive or legal authority on the topics discussed.
Much to their parents’ dismay, neither host is a lawyer, journalist, investigator, or any sort of authority figure. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts are personal and should not be taken as fact. Listeners are encouraged to conduct their own research and draw their own conclusions.
This podcast is not intended to harm, slander, or defame any individuals, groups, or organizations. All individuals discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
You can find the list of sources used for each episode on our website, atrialbypodcast.com, within 30 days of the episode publish date.
If you have any questions or concerns about the content, feel free to reach out to our team at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
*Related media may include website content, social media posts, TikTok videos (“Unsettling Story Time”), interviews, media appearances, and more.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Jodi Huisentruit was a TV news anchor at KIMT-TV in Mason City, Iowa, who disappeared in the early morning hours of June 27, 1995, after failing to show up for her morning broadcast. Police responded to her apartment building and found signs of a struggle around her car, which was still in the parking lot, leading investigators to believe she was attacked as she headed to work. Despite extensive investigations involving thousands of tips and interviews with over a thousand people, no definitive clues to her whereabouts were ever found, and she was declared legally dead in 2001. Several persons of interest have been investigated over the years, most notably John Vansice, the last known person to see her alive, though no arrests have ever been made. Her body has never been recovered, and as of the 30th anniversary of her disappearance in 2025, a reward is still being offered for information, and the case remains an active investigation.
Someone out there knows what happened to her. That's not speculation — that is statistically near-certain. And if you know something, or if you know someone who does, the Mason City Police Department's tip line is (641) 421-3001. FindJodi.com also accepts tips. Steve Ridge's reward is real and it is fifty thousand dollars.
*****
Find all of A Trial by Podcast's links in our Linktree below:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here for all of our links!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find us on socials:
Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠A Trial by Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Theme Music:
https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/mr-mischief
License code: MOYK9CTUWGH7BLCS
DISCLAIMER
This podcast (and all related media*) is intended for entertainment purposes only. While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, we cannot guarantee its completeness or veracity. Our sources are thoroughly researched, and we strive to use credible, publicly available information. However, this podcast should not be considered a definitive or legal authority on the topics discussed.
Much to their parents’ dismay, neither host is a lawyer, journalist, investigator, or any sort of authority figure. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts are personal and should not be taken as fact. Listeners are encouraged to conduct their own research and draw their own conclusions.
This podcast is not intended to harm, slander, or defame any individuals, groups, or organizations. All individuals discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
You can find the list of sources used for each episode on our website, atrialbypodcast.com, within 30 days of the episode publish date.
If you have any questions or concerns about the content, feel free to reach out to our team at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
*Related media may include website content, social media posts, TikTok videos (“Unsettling Story Time”), interviews, media appearances, and more.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Listen ad-free on Patreon
Brazil has a word for the kind of person Flordelis dos Santos de Souza appeared to be: milagre. A miracle. Born into poverty in one of Rio de Janeiro's most dangerous favelas, she clawed her way out not through luck or privilege, but through her faith in God — and she made it her mission to bring as many people with her as she could. By 2019, she was a celebrated gospel singer, a renowned evangelical pastor, a sitting member of Brazil's Congress, and the mother of fifty-five adopted children she had pulled off the streets and called her own. She was proof that God was real and that He showed up for the forgotten. She was, by every measure that mattered in evangelical Brazil, a living saint. But on the morning of June 16, 2019, her husband was found shot 18 times in their garage — and the story Flordelis told about what happened that night would begin to unravel almost immediately. Because the miracle, it turned out, had a very dark foundation. And the saint? She was anything but. This is the story of the murder of Anderson do Carmo.
*****
Find all of A Trial by Podcast's links in our Linktree below:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here for all of our links!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find us on socials:
Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠A Trial by Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Theme Music:
https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/mr-mischief
License code: MOYK9CTUWGH7BLCS
DISCLAIMER
This podcast (and all related media*) is intended for entertainment purposes only. While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, we cannot guarantee its completeness or veracity. Our sources are thoroughly researched, and we strive to use credible, publicly available information. However, this podcast should not be considered a definitive or legal authority on the topics discussed.
Much to their parents’ dismay, neither host is a lawyer, journalist, investigator, or any sort of authority figure. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts are personal and should not be taken as fact. Listeners are encouraged to conduct their own research and draw their own conclusions.
This podcast is not intended to harm, slander, or defame any individuals, groups, or organizations. All individuals discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
You can find the list of sources used for each episode on our website, atrialbypodcast.com, within 30 days of the episode publish date.
If you have any questions or concerns about the content, feel free to reach out to our team at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
*Related media may include website content, social media posts, TikTok videos (“Unsettling Story Time”), interviews, media appearances, and more.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Listen ad-free on Patreon
On the evening of February 23rd, 2005, a man named Mark Lunsford had a date with his girlfriend. Before leaving, he said goodnight to his 9-year-old daughter Jessie, and thanked his parents, Ruth and Archie for watching her that evening. The four lived together, but Mark planned to stay overnight at his girlfriend’s that evening. When he returned to the family’s mobile home the next morning around 6 AM to get ready for work, he headed to Jessie’s room to check on her, but she was nowhere to be found. Mark knew immediately that something horrible had happened. It would be nearly a month before the body of his 9-year-old daughter would be found in a shallow grave, where she had been buried alive just 100 yards from her own home. I’m warning you now, today’s story is a tough one. Not only was Jessica brutally murdered, but she was sexually abused beforehand. If you need to skip this one and come back next week, I forgive you, but I believe Jessica’s story is one that needs to be told.
*****
Find all of A Trial by Podcast's links in our Linktree below:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here for all of our links!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Find us on socials:
Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠A Trial by Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Theme Music:
https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/mr-mischief
License code: MOYK9CTUWGH7BLCS
DISCLAIMER
This podcast (and all related media*) is intended for entertainment purposes only. While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, we cannot guarantee its completeness or veracity. Our sources are thoroughly researched, and we strive to use credible, publicly available information. However, this podcast should not be considered a definitive or legal authority on the topics discussed.
Much to their parents’ dismay, neither host is a lawyer, journalist, investigator, or any sort of authority figure. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts are personal and should not be taken as fact. Listeners are encouraged to conduct their own research and draw their own conclusions.
This podcast is not intended to harm, slander, or defame any individuals, groups, or organizations. All individuals discussed are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
You can find the list of sources used for each episode on our website, atrialbypodcast.com, within 30 days of the episode publish date.
If you have any questions or concerns about the content, feel free to reach out to our team at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
*Related media may include website content, social media posts, TikTok videos (“Unsettling Story Time”), interviews, media appearances, and more.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.